Typewriting and like machine



2, 1943. F. w. SCHREMP TYPEWRITING AND LIKE MACHINE March Filed April 19, 1941 Patented Mar. 2, 1943 TYPEWRITING AND LIKE MACHINE Frederick W. Schremp, Elmira, N. Y., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., Buffalo, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 19, 1941, Serial No. 389,412

8 Claims.

This invention relates to typewriting and like machines, and more particularly to improvements in the tabulator stop assembly of such machines.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and easily manufactured tabulator stop assembly which is nevertheless highly eflicient and reliable in operation.

A further object is to provide such tabulator stop assembly with improved means for reliably holding each of the individual stops either in normal position or in set position, which means also serves to assemble and to limit the movement of the stops.

Other objects, purposes and characteristic features of the present invention will appear as the description thereof progresses, during which references will be made to the accompanying drawing wherein all of the views are on enlarged scales and like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the different views.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional View of the rear portion of a typewriting machine to which the tabulator stop assembly of the present invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a detail of the assembly shown in Fig. 1, the view showing one stop in its set position and another stop in its normal position on the tabulator bar.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is another sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

The devices of the present invention have been shown as applied to a Remington model No. 17 typewriting machine such as shown in part in application Serial No. 347,677, filed .July 26, 1940.

Only a sufficient number of parts of this machine have been shown to illustrate the present invention in its embodiment therein, and it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to embodiment in this particular machine but may be applied to various other makes and models of typewriting machines.

The tabulator stop assembly has been applied in the present instance to the carriage of the machine referred to above, and only portions 5 of the usual carriage end plates have been shown in the present drawing. A bar 5 extends between these end plates 5 in line with the direction of movement of the carriage, which bar .is

adjustably retained in position by screws 1 pass ing through elongated openings in the bar 6 and threaded into the end plates 5.

The intermediate portion of the cross bar 6 carries a tabulator bar or rack bar H] which is substantially I-shaped in cross section as shown in Fig. 3. .The bar I0 is provided with a series of evenly spaced transverse or vertical slots forming comb teeth l2, and these slots are cut from the back of the bar through the greater portion of the thickness thereof to leave a continuous uncut portion at the front of the bar. These slots are cut at letter-space intervals, which may for example be ten or twelve to the inch depending on whether the machine is provided with pica or elite type. In order'to reduce the weight of bar H], a longitudinal channel I4 is provided along the front side thereof, and a similar but more shallow channel I5 is provided at the rear side of the bar. The channel [5 receives a reduced width intermediate portion of the cross bar 6, and a lip IE on the-bar It] extends upwardly past the lower edge of the cross bar to prevent displacement of the lower portion of bar H] as shown in Fig. 3. The upper portion of bar I 0 may be secured on cross bar 6 by swedging the upper rear portion of the comb teeth 12 into a cut-out corner portion at the upper edge of bar 6 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The tabulator bar [0 is thus securely attached to cross bar 6, and the cross bar partially closes the rear portions of the slots so that these slots and the cross bar provide vertical guide ways for stops 20. One of the stops 2!] is placed in each of these guide ways, and each stop is thus spaced from the adjacent stop by comb teeth l2. As shown in Fig. 2, stops 20 are each formed from a substantially rectangular flat piece of sheet metal of a thickness and width adapted to slidably fit in the guide ways provided by the slots in bar l0 and cross bar 6.

Means are provided in accordance with the present invention for limiting the movement of the stops 20 in these guide ways, which means also acts to resiliently retain each of the stops either in its upper normal position or its lower set position. Thus, an opening 22 is provided in the central portion of each of the stops 20, and this opening is somewhat U-shaped to form a detent lobe or projection 24.

All of the stops 2!] of the present arrangement are of identical construction, and the openings 22 are so disposed in the stops that the lower portions ofthese openings directly below the projections 24 of all the stops Will be in alignthe detent lobes or projections 24.

ment longitudinally of the bar II! when the stops are assembled in normal position and in relatively reversed relation. In other words, if every second stop is arranged with projection 24 extending in a forward direction, the other stops will be reversely arranged with projection 24 extending in a rearward direction, and with the stops thus arranged, the portion of opening 22 immediately below projection 24 of each stop will be in alignment with portions below projections 24 on adjacent stops. In order to provide a visual check on the proper alternate arrangement of the stops 2B, the upper corner may be cut ofi each stop during manufacture as shown in the drawing, and when the stops are assembled on bar It], these out ofi corners will be staggered or alternately disposed at the front and rear edges on adjacent slots to indicate that the stops are properly assembled.

A longitudinal groove 26 is also provided in the tabulator bar I!) which is disposed at the central portion of the inner vertical wall of the channel l4, and this groove 26 receives a coiled wire spring 28 which extends continuously throughout the portion of bar H] which carries stops 25. Considering that all of the stops 2!) are in their normal or upper position, it willbe clear that spring 28 will pass through the lower portion of the openings 22 in all of the stops, or particularly the spring will pass through the portion of these openings which is directly below It will be clear that the walls of groove 26 hold spring 28 against vertical displacement, and in order to retain the spring against endwise displacement in groove 26, screws 3!] are provided in the groove at opposite ends of the spring, which screws are threaded into the bar l9 as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

It will be clear that when stops 2B are in their upper or normal position such as the right-hand stop shown in Fig. 2, detent lobes or projections 24 will engage the upper side of spring 28 and thereby hold the stops in their upper position against accidental displacement. groove 26 is sufiiciently deep to permit either forward or rearward horizontal displacement of spring 23 so that each stop is only resiliently held in position, and when suflicient downward pressure is applied thereto,the detent lobe 24 will force a portion of spring 28 horizontally thereby allowing the stop to move downward to its set position. When the stop reaches its set position, spring 28 again returns to its straight condition by entering the portion of opening 22 which is directly above projection 24 as shown in connection with the left-hand stop shown in Fig. 2. Inasmuch as each of the stops 2%! is reversed on bar It) with relation to the adjacent stops, it will be clear that during this vertical movement of any one of stops 2!! only a portion of spring 28 disposed between the adjacent stops will be stressed or displaced horizontally. In this manner a movement of one of the stops does not affect the action of spring 28 to retain the other stops in their existing position.

The present tabulator stop assembly is arranged to coact with the other parts of the tabulator mechanism in the usual manner, and only a small portion of this mechanism has been shown in the present drawing. In Fig. 1, a tabulator stop set arm 34 is shown disposed above the'tabulator stops 2B, and this arm is mounted on the frame of the machine so that at anyhosition of the carriage, the arm may be operated However,

downwardly by the usual key mechanism to move one of the stops which is disposed therebeneath from its normal to its set position. The stop 20 when in its set position coacts with a stop blade 36 which is guided by a plate 31 mounted on the machine frame 38 for movement by the usual tabulator key from its inefiective position shown in solid lines in Figs. 1 and 3 to its dotted-line position wherein it is disposed in the path of travel of a stop 20 which has been moved to its lower or set position. The usual means for restoring stops 20 to their normal position may be provided in the form of a cam member or wiper 40 also mounted on the guide plate 3'! for movement by the usual key mechanism into a position wherein it will engage stops which have been moved to the set position and cam such stops back to normal position during a movement of the carriage from left to right as shown in Fig. 1.

The present tabulator stop assembly may thus be combined with existing tabulator mechanism without modifying the existing structural features thereof. A particular feature of the present tabulator stop assembly is the simplicity and efiiciency of the means for retaining each of the individual stops 26 on the tabulator bar It]. In this arrangement, the single spring 28 coacts with the detent lobe or projection 25 of each stop to resiliently hold it in either its normal or set position, and this same spring coacts with the walls of the opening 22 in each stop to limit its movement relative to the tabulator bar thereby retaining all the stops in their assembled relation on the bar. The simplicity of this arrangement permits each of the stops to be inexpensively made, such as by stamping from fiat sheet metal stock, and all of the stops may be assembled easily and quickly on the bar It] merely by positioning the single spring 28 within its groove 26. It will also be noted that the relatively reversed arrangement o-f adjacent stops provides a support for the spring 28 at each side of each stop against horizontal displacement in the direction in which the detent lobe 24 of that stop cams the spring as the stop is moved from one extreme position to the other. Thus, the action of each lobe 24 is localized so that the spring may be stressed by the movement of any one stop without affecting the retaining action of the spring on the other stops.

The above rather specific description of one form of the present invention is given merely by the way of example, and is not intended, in any manner whatsoever, in a limited sense. It is also to be understood that various modifications, adaptations and alterations may be made to meet the requirements of practice, without in any manner departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention, except as limited by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a tabulator mechanism, the combination of a tabulator bar having transverse slots, a plurality of stops mounted in said slots for movement transversely of the bar, a coiled spring extending longitudinally of said bar, and detent lobes reversely arranged on adjacent stops to engage and stress said spring during said movement of the stops transversely of the bar.

2. In a tabulator mechanism, the combination of a tabulator bar having transverse slots, a continuous coiled spring extending longitudinally of said bar, and a plurality of stops mounted in said .slots for movement transversely of the bar, each stop havin an elongated opening receiving said spring and limiting said transverse movement of the stop with a detent lobe projecting into the intermediate portion of the opening to displace the spring during said transverse movement, said detent lobes being reversely arranged on certain of said stops with relation to the detent lobes on others of said stops.

3. In a tabulator mechanism, the combination of a tabulator bar having transverse slots, a continuous coiled spring extending longitudinally of said bar, and a plurality of stops mounted in said slots for movement transversely of the bar, each stop having an elongated opening receiving said spring and limiting said transverse movement of the stop and a detent lobe reversely arranged on adjacent stops to project into the intermediate portion of the opening of each stop to displace the spring during said transverse movement.

4. A tabulator stop assembly comprising a bar having a longitudinal groove, a coiled spring disposed longitudinally in said groove, and a plurality of stops mounted in spaced parallel relation on said bar for movement transversely thereof, each stop having a substantially U-shaped opening receiving said spring at one end thereof and the opening in each stop being reversely arranged with relation to the opening in the adjacent top.

5. A tabulator stop assembly comprising a bar having a longitudinal groove, a coiled spring disposed longitudinally in said groove, and a plurality of stops mounted in spaced parallel relation on said bar for movement transversely thereof, each stop having a centrally disposed U-shaped opening receiving said spring at one end thereof and each stop being reversely arranged with relation to the adjacent stop.

6. A tabulator stop assembly comprising a bar having a longitudinal groove, a coiled spring disposed longitudinally in said groove, a plurality of stops mounted in spaced parallel relation on 1 said bar for movement transversely thereof, each stop having a centrally disposed U-shaped opening receiving said spring at one end thereof and each stop being reversely arranged with relation to the adjacent stop, and means on each stop for indicating said relatively reversed arrangement.

7. A tabulator stop assembly comprising a bar', stops mounted in spaced parallel relation on said bar for movement transversely thereof, resilient means extending longitudinally of said bar, detent means on certain of said stops for displacing said resilient means in one direction during movement of the stops transversely of the bar, and detent means on others of said stop for displacing said resilient means in a different direction during movement of the stops transversely of the bar.

8. A tabulator stop assembly comprising a bar,

stops mounted in spaced parallel relation on said bar for movement transversely thereof, and

means for limiting said movement of each of said 

